


Aliit ori'shya tal'din

by Bryn_Delgado



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bad Parent Qui-Gon Jinn, Battle of Galidraan Happens Differently, Child Abandonment, Child Abuse, Clones, Death Watch (Star Wars), F/M, Fluff, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force-Sensitive Clones, Found Family, Gen, Gray Jedi Dooku, Hurt Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hurt/Comfort, Jaster Mereel Lives, Kid Fic, M/M, Mand'alor Jaster Mereel, Mandalorian Adoption (Star Wars), Mandalorian Anakin Skywalker, Mandalorian Clans (Star Wars), Mandalorian Jango Fett, Mandalorian Jedi (Star Wars), Mandalorian Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mando'a Language (Star Wars), New Mandalorians (Star Wars), Not Beta Read, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parental Jaster Mereel, Planet Galidraan (Star Wars), Planet Mandalore (Star Wars), Protective Clone Troopers (Star Wars), Protective Jango Fett, Protective Jaster Mereel, Protective Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn Lives, Qui-Gon Jinn's A+ Parenting, Tags May Change, True Mandalorians (Star Wars), do not copy to anther site
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 10:15:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28865364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bryn_Delgado/pseuds/Bryn_Delgado
Summary: Young Obi-Wan suffers from visions. One night, after a particularly horrifying one, he looks for a place to hide and accidentally wanders into an old communication room. And so he meets one Jaster Mereel, who cannot leave a child in distress. Thus, Obi-Wan finds a family he never asked for but desperately needed and Jango Fett acquires a baby brother he never knew he wanted until he had him.But as Obi-Wan turns five, a vision of Jaster’s death leaves him hysterical and so he forgets all about them, convinced he only imagined those kind armored men with warm smiles and gentle words.Eight years later, Obi-Wan is left on the war-torn planet Melida/Daan. And he has visions of a massacre of Mandalorians. Could he find a way to warn them? And why does his heart ache so much at the sight of a Mandalorian in green and red armor?
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody & Obi-Wan Kenobi, CC-5576-39 | Gregor & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Dooku & Jaster Mereel, Dooku & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Feemor & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jango Fett & Jaster Mereel, Jango Fett & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jango Fett/Myles the Mandalorian, Jaster Mereel & Clone Troopers, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & CC-3636 | Wolffe, Obi-Wan Kenobi & CT-7567 | Rex, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Jaster Mereel, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Quinlan Vos, Obi-Wan Kenobi & The Young, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker, Qui-Gon Jinn & Obi-Wan Kenobi
Comments: 197
Kudos: 886





	1. One – The first meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Disclamer: I do not own any rights on Star Wars' characters, the universe, names, and so on and I'm not trying to make money.
> 
> Sooo… I was mad at Qui-Gon for leaving a TEENAGE Obi-Wan alone in the middle of a freaking civil war, and so I wanted to give him another family. And Jaster Mereel seemed like a perfect candidate. Enjoy!

**7923 C.R.C.**

His comm beeped, indicating that someone was trying to get his attention. Without taking his eyes off the map that was spread out on the table, Jaster accepted the call. “Mereel here.” He said, even though he knew it wasn’t necessary. The call was to his private comm, the frequency of which only a few people knew. He expected to hear Jango’s voice asking where he was, since it was rather late, or Montross’ report on the situation. Instead he heard a sob.

Startled, Jaster turned his head to the holo and saw a tiny human _ad_. The image was not of a good quality, so it was difficult to determine their age. The matter was complicated by the fact that the _ad_ hid their face in their knees, arms wrapped around them. They seemed so small... And Jaster could not figure out how the _ad_ managed to call him because judging by the image, they were quite far from the comm.

Even though he didn’t know the kid, Jaster just could not let them cry any more. “Hello there, little one.” He spoke softly. The _ad’s_ head shot up immediately, eyes wide. And now they were staring at Jaster.

They had big eyes, a small dimple on the chin and their hair stuck out in all directions. They were dressed in trousers and tunic and were visibly shivering from the cold. The holos didn’t fully convey colors, so Jaster could only see that the _ad’s_ hair was a reddish shade and his clothes were white.

They sniffed again. **‘Hullo.’** Came their cautious reply. The _ad_ clearly did not know what to make of the strange armored man they were seeing. Jaster offered them a kind smile.

“My name is Jaster.” The _ad_ frowned at him and then looked down, fiddling with their sleeves.

 **‘Not s’pposed to talk to stwangers.’** They admitted reluctantly, peeking up at Jaster and quickly dropping their gaze back.

Jaster nodded approvingly. “And that’s right. It’s very good that you know that.” The _ad_ sniffed again. Jaster frowned. “Were you trying to comm your _buir’e?_ ” He asked gently. The _ad_ gave him a puzzled look.

 **‘Wat’z buuwe?’** Jaster chuckled, shaking his head a bit.

“ _Buir’e_. It means ‘parents’. And _buir_ means ‘parent’.” He explained softly. The _ad_ nodded thoughtfully, mouthing the words to themselves. Then they shook their head.

 **‘Don’t have pawents.’** They admitted easily, not sounding too upset by that fact. So, they’d lost their parents pretty young and either lived with some relatives or were in an orphanage. The quality of their clothes, the comm and their Core accent hinted at the first option.

Jaster hummed nonchalantly. “Then why did you need a comm?” The _ad_ bit their lower lip.

 **‘Dunno… It was dere...’** They waved their little hand in Jaster’s direction, their face falling again. **‘I’m sowwy.’** They whispered.

“What are you apologizing for?” Jaster asked in genuine confusion. “You didn’t do anything wrong.” The _ad_ lowered their head.

 **‘Always do somefing w’ong.’** They murmured, their eyes filling with tears **.** **‘** **Not good at studies, not strong as othews and Bwuck’s calling me names, cause I cwied when I cut my leg and boys ‘we not s’possed to cwy.’** The _ad_ sobbed, burying his face in his knees again. **‘I’m not like them.’**

Jaster clenched his jaw. While _Mando’ade_ encouraged their children to compete with each other, they never let them bully someone. It went against the _Resol'nare_ and everything that made them _Mando’ade_. Of course, friendly banter was the norm and sometimes it went too far, especially if the _ade_ were young. But one of the adults was always there to calm them down and help them work out the problem. Obviously, that couldn’t be said about this _ad’s_ situation.

“There is nothing wrong with being different.” Jaster said, making the _ad_ look up at him. “Everyone develops at their own speed. And if you are not at the level of your age-mates right now, it does not mean that you will not overpass them in the future.” The _ad_ leaned forward, his eyes shining with hope instead of tears. And Jaster had to stomp down a flash of anger at the thought that no one had ever said it to the _ad_ before. “As for your studies, well, the same principle applies here. We all need a different amount of time to learn something new. And you look like a smart lad to me, so don’t worry.” Then Jaster flashed him a smirk. “Besides, you don’t need to be good at everything. I still can’t remember when the current Chancellor’s reign began. My _ad_ laughs at me every time.” Jaster grumbled and was rather pleased when the _ad_ giggled happily.

 **‘Wat’z ad?’** He asked, cocking his head and crawling closer to the comm. He took it into his hands and returned back to the corner.

Jaster smiled at him. “‘ _Ad’_ means ‘child’ in general and ‘ _adiik’_ means ‘a child aged three to thirteen’.” He made a show on looking the _ad_ up and down. “How old are you? I promise I won’t tell anyone.” He assured the _ad_ when he noticed him becoming unsure.

 **‘I’m thwee and a haff.’** He said and then hesitated. **‘My name’s Obi-Wan.’** He whispered, sneaking a wry glance at Jaster, as if expecting him to start laughing, which, well… really made Jaster’s blood boil. What kind of _shabuir_ could laugh at a child’s name?

Instead, Jaster smiled. _“Jatne at urcir gar, Obi-Wan.”_ He greeted solemnly and immediately translated: “Nice to meet you.” Obi-Wan nodded seriously and tried to repeat the words. After a few attempts on his own, Jaster walked him through the correct pronouncement. They did not get it quite right but Obi-Wan was pretty close. “ _Kandosii!_ Well done!” He praised and Obi-Wan beamed at him.

 **‘Fank you! Miss Vant says I’m good with languages.’** He told Jaster.

Jaster raised one eyebrow. “I believe she is correct. How many languages do you know?” He asked with increasing curiosity. This _adiik_ was so unlike any other Jaster had ever met. He found himself completely charmed by Obi-Wan.

The _adiik_ frowned. **‘Oh, I know Basic, Wyl and Galactic Sign Language and wight now I’m leawning Bocce.’** Jaster blinked in surprise. So many already? The _adiik_ must be a natural. Also…

“Bocce?” He asked and Obi-Wan blushed again, picking at his sleeve.

 **‘It’s inewesting. It’s made from sevewal othew languages and it’s so cool!’** Obi-Wan said excitingly, he was so passionate, Jaster thought his heart would melt right there.

A thought appeared in his mind suddenly. He cleared his throat. “Would you like to learn another one? From a native speaker?” Obi-Wan looked like might burst from delight as he nodded vigorously.

“ _Jate, jate._ Good.” Jaster murmured. “Now, would you like to learn how to ask someone’s name?” Obi-Wan nodded eagerly, almost bouncing in his excitement. Jaster chuckled at his enthusiasm. He never had to teach someone Mando’a and it all was rather new to him. And he realized that he liked that feeling. Obi-Wan’s eagerness probably helped too. “‘ _Su cuy'gar, ner gai Jaster. Tion gar gai?’_ It means – ‘Hello, my name is Jaster. What is your name?’” Jaster said. Obi-Wan made a small considering noise.

 **‘Sounds pwetty. Wat’z language?’** He wondered, looking up at him for an answer. Jaster hesitated.

Not many people of Core worlds liked _Mando’ade_. Considered them dangerous, violent and merciless usurpers. Jaster did not know if Obi-Wan ever heard of his people and did not want to scare him. But looking into his big bluish eyes, he found that he could not lie either.

“It’s _Mando’a_. The language of _Mando’ade_ – children of Mandalore.” He admitted finally and braced himself. But to his great surprise, Obi-Wan only squeaked in delight.

 **‘You Mando?! I heawd sooo much about you! Can you’ awmow weally stop a ‘sabew?’** He asked. Jaster nodded dumbly, even though he was a bit perplexed at the odd question. He was often asked about his armor’s capabilities but rarely people asked about a _jetii'kad_. Although, it would make some sense if Obi-Wan heard about _Mando’ade_ during his history classes. But the _ad_ was a bit too young for lessons like that, in Jaster’s opinion. How did he know?

The _adiik_ started asking question after question about his armor, always waiting patiently for an answer.

Was it hard to wear it? Could it deflect a blaster bolt? How heavy was it? Did the colors have any meaning? And the emblems? And if the emblem was painted in a certain color?

And so Jaster gave Obi-Wan a short course in the history of symbolism among the Mandalorians. The _adiik_ listened without interrupting, and seemed to memorize everything instantly. Jaster didn’t notice the hour fly by.

He was actually surprised that their conversation lasted that long. Feeling more confident, now that he made Obi-Wan relax, Jaster decided to try his luck a little. “Do you have a surname?” Obi-Wan just gave him a confused look. Jaster pointed at himself. “Mine is Mereel, but some don’t have one or choose not to use it.” Obi-Wan frowned pensively.

 **‘I do.’** He admitted carefully. Jaster smiled encouragingly at him. **‘But I can’t tell you.’** Obi-Wan said. Jaster held his arms up in surrender.

“It’s fine.” He replied and Obi-Wan’s shoulders seemed to slump in relief. “But perhaps you have another name I can call you by?” The boy gave Jaster a baffled look. “Like a nickname or an alias.”

 **‘Wat’z it?’** Obi-Wan asked, leaning forward, eyes sparkling with interest.

Jaster smiled. “It’s a substitute for your name, given by your friends or family. Usually it’s a sign of affection or endearment. For example, I call my son _Jan’ika_ , which, well, actually annoys him quite a bit.” Jaster admitted and was rewarded with Obi-Wan’s happy giggle. But then his face fell.

 **‘I don’t hafe one.’** He confessed, looking down in shame again, like it was his fault somehow. Jaster simply shrugged.

“Then we’ll have to give you one, what do you think?” Obi-Wan’s head snapped up, eyes wide with badly concealed hope.

 **‘Weally?’** He gasped. Jaster nodded.

“Of course,” He pretended to ponder for a moment, humming and squinting his eyes at Obi-Wan. “You know, you remind me of a creature I met once.” Jaster said, lips curling into a tiny smirk at the sight of Obi-Wan’s curious and impatient gaze. “It was tiny, with bright red fur, and intelligent pitch-black eyes. At first, I thought it was harmless, it looked so damn _copikla_ , I did not even think it was so feisty. Had sharp claws and teeth too.” Jaster whispered, as if sharing a great secret.

Obi-Wan gave him a concerned look. **‘But you otay?’** He asked anxiously and Jaster was a little taken aback. How could this little boy be so concerned about a stranger? He nodded to soothe Obi-Wan.

“ _Elek_ , yes, I’m completely fine. But it still amazed me how something so little and innocent looking could turn lethal in a matter of seconds.” He gave Obi-Wan a pointed look. “That’s what I see in you. Some might overlook you, judging you by your appearance. But there is a strength in you, intelligence and courage. Trust me, as a battle-hardened warrior, I see these qualities at once.” He winked at Obi-Wan, who blushed brightly and ducked his head.

Well, Jaster was lying slightly, it usually took longer to find out who a person really was. But he prided himself on being a good people-reader and Obi-Wan was such an open child that it wasn’t hard to figure out what he was like. Despite the fact that they only talked for an hour and a half. So Jaster allowed himself to lie about time, but not about the qualities. He’d actually seen them in Obi-Wan, even though they weren’t fully developed yet, they were still there.

“It’s called _ge’rev_ – a fox.” Jaster continued. He tilted his head. “But I think _rev’ika_ would suit you better, what do you say?”

Obi-Wan frowned, considering Jaster’s offer seriously. Finally, he nodded and gave Jaster a bright smile, which seemed to warm the _Mandalorian_ from the inside. **‘I wike it! Fank you, Jastew!’** Jaster merely smiled.

Obi-Wan looked like he wanted to ask something but yawned widely instead. Jaster chuckled, watching Obi-Wan tiredly rub his eye with a tiny fist. “Looks like it’s someone’s bed time.” He teased lightly.

 **‘But ’m not tiwed!’** Obi-Wan protested stubbornly with a huge pout. Jaster laughed, shaking his head.

“You should go to sleep, _rev’ika_.” Jaster urged him, smiling gently.

Obi-Wan sighed loudly. **‘Fiiine.’** He agreed reluctantly. Then a thought seemed to occur to him and he asked fearfully: **‘Can I call you again?’**

Jaster was taken aback by the desperation he heard in the _adiik’s_ voice. He clearly was not receiving much attention from his guardians, if he clung on to the first stranger who was kind to him. Jaster really wanted to ask where Obi-Wan lived and have some word with them. “Of course.” He soothed the _adiik_ softly. “You do have my frequency. Although, I’m not sure how you got it.” Jaster said and raised a pointed eyebrow at Obi-Wan.

For some reason, guilt flashed on Obi-Wan’s face and he lowered his head in shame. **‘I saw it in a dweam.’** He mumbled, picking at his sleeves again. Jaster made a surprised noise.

“That’s incredible, _rev’ika_.” He said in honest amazement, which seemed to confuse the _adiik_.

 **‘Why?’** He asked, sounding baffled. **‘Not s’pposed to believe my dweams.’** Jaster fought the urge to curse.

“Do you dream often?” He asked instead. Obi-Wan nodded, looking down.

 **‘Evewy night. They awe vewy scawy.’** He whispered; voice hoarse. **‘I see fiwe and heaw scweams.’** He murmured with his eyes closed. **‘They tell me it’s just dweams and not weal. But they come twue and yestewday I saw numbers and comm and then Bwuck called me Oafy-Wan again and I-I-’** Obi-Wan sobbed again brokenly.

Jaster had never wished to be able to move through space more than he did now. He could only watch helplessly as the little _adiik_ cried out his heart. “It’s all right, _rev’ika_.” He tried to comfort the distressed _adiik_. “Whoever told you that was wrong. You are special, Obi-Wan, very special.” Jaster said, drawing the _adiik’s_ attention back to himself. He smiled softly at Obi-Wan. “You are marked by _ka’ra_. The _Mando’ade_ have legends about people like you.” Obi-Wan wiped his eyes with his sleeve, still sniffing a bit but completely enamored with the story. “They can receive messages from their ancestors when they are asleep. Yes, sometimes it’s really just dreams. But like you said, sometimes they come true. You were able to comm me, weren’t you?” He pointed out. Obi-Wan gave him a tiny hesitant nod and a small shy smile appeared on his face. Jaster returned it fully. “Now, that’s better.” He murmured. Seeing that Obi-Wan’s lids started dropping, Jaster called out: “Go to sleep, _rev’ika_. And if the _ka’ra_ wills, we will see each other again.”

**‘Otay. G’night, Jastew.’**

“ _Ret'urcye mhi_. Goodbye.” Jaster said as just as Obi-Wan’s image flickered out. He stared at the place it had been for a few moments and then shook himself, returning to the map on the table. He still had a campaign to plan.

***

Since then, Obi-Wan had called Jaster frequently. Sometimes two or three times a week, sometimes more often. They talked about everything. Obi-Wan eagerly spoke about his progress in school and all the troubles he was getting into with his friends. From time to time, he would be comming very upset after a nightmare or another run-in with Bruck. Jaster always made sure to comfort him and distract him from sad thoughts.

They continued their language lessons. Obi-Wan was a very diligent and dedicated student, so just in two months he was able to have a decent, for his age, conversation. Even his Core accent disappeared when he spoke _Mando’a_. Jaster felt proud of the _adiik’s_ progress and he always made sure to tell Obi-Wan so. Every time he was praised the _adiik_ would blush and smile sheepishly, ducking his head down shyly, not used to it.

The more Jaster learned about the _adiik’s_ life, the more he was inclined to believe that he lived in some fancy orphanage. Obi-Wan talked about his friends of various ages and species but most often mentioned were Garen, Bant, Siri, Reeft and Quinlan, who were about the same age as Obi-Wan. And there was an older friend, someone Obi-Wan called ‘Fee’, which Jaster suspected was because he could not say his name fully. And this ‘Fee’ sounded like the closest thing Obi-Wan had to a family. So Jaster liked him even without meeting him.

Obi-Wan almost never mentioned adults, except for some teachers with whose subjects he struggled. Every time Jaster asked what exactly he did not understand and then slowly and plainly explained the topic to the best of his ability. If he was not familiar with the topic, they would go over it together. Thanks to this, Obi-Wan began to get better grades and was able to understand how to study better on his own.

He even proudly told Jaster once, that he was able to get a top grade in physical class, all due to Jaster’s prompts and advise.

It went on like that for three months, until one day Jaster told Obi-Wan that he would be unable to answer any comms for a few weeks because of a mission he was taking.

 **‘Oh.’** The _adiik_ said, sounding a little lost and upset. But he quickly recovered, wishing Jaster luck and made him promise to comm as soon as he finished his mission. Jaster laughed but agreed, thinking that it wouldn’t take long.

Except, when he had finally commed, no one answered.

He tried again in another time, figuring that due to the fact that Jaster was constantly travelling, the time difference was somewhat unpredictable and Obi-Wan might have been asleep.

But he got no answer either.

No matter what time Jaster commed, no one answered. Jaster was honestly lost. And worried. What if something had happened to Obi-Wan and he would not even know? He cursed himself for never asking the _adiik’s_ last name or where he lived.

A month had passed like that. Jaster was in a bad mood all this time and to relax a little, he accepted a contract for a simple mission. It was supposed to take only a couple days and would have allowed Jaster to put his thoughts into planning, instead of worrying.

The next few days were spent in blur. The _Haat_ _Mando’ade_ had successfully completed their mission and were returning home. The ship they were currently on, was named _Spirit_ and was filled with Mandos. They were chatting, laughing, checking over their weapons or fighting. But Jaster was a little distracted, worrying about Obi-Wan.

The others noticed his absent-minded mood. Tuc Qog, one of Jaster’s lieutenants even elbowed him with a teasing smirk. “What’s up with all this brooding, ‘ _Alor_?” Jaster just grimaced, waving him away. Tuc pouted. It looked ridiculous on a full-grown Vurk but Tuc ignored everyone who told him that much. Just as Tuc was about to start pestering Jaster again, his comm went on.

Jaster looked at the caller’s id and frowned. It was unknown. But a moment later he realized just who that might be and gestured for Jango to follow him and walked toward his personal room. Jango quickly said goodbye to his friends and jogged to catch up with his _buir_. The young man was a little confused but followed Jaster without questions.

Opening the doors, Jaster ushered Jango inside and finally answered the call.

He let out a relieved sigh when a holo of Obi-Wan’s frowning face appeared. It cleared as soon as he caught sight of Jaster.

 **‘Jastew! _Su cay'gaw._ ’** He exclaimed, beaming brightly. Jaster laughed.

“ _Su cuy'gar, Ob’ika._ I’ve missed you too.” Obi-Wan’s smile fell and he lowered his eyes. Jango tried to catch his _buir’s_ attention by waving his hands and singing but Jaster ignored him.

Jango sent him a nasty glare, not liking being held in the dark. Jaster shook his head at him, focusing on the _adiik_. **‘Bwuck bwoke the comm.’** Obi-Wan said miserably. **‘He found it in Kiki and bwoke.’**

“Kiki?” Jango asked, confused, leaning forward slightly to get a better look at Obi-Wan. The _adiik_ froze as soon as he heard an unfamiliar voice and stared at Jango with huge eyes. Jango noticed his startled expression and offered him a kind smile. “ _Su cuy'gar. Ner gai Jango.”_ He introduced himself and Obi-Wan instantly relaxed. His eyes went wide with excitement.

 **‘Jango? Jastew’s _ad_?’ **Obi-Wan asked in awe. Jango raised a questioning eyebrow at his _buir_ but still smiled at the _adiik_ on the holo.

 _“Elek.”_ He confirmed with a grin. _“Tion gar gai?”_

The _adiik_ smiled happily. **_‘New gai Obi-Wan.’_** He answered proudly. He looked so adorable, Jango had to stifle his laugh. He grabbed Jaster’s comm, taking it off his wrist, ignoring the offended ‘Jango!’ from his _buir_ and dropped down on the chair next to the table. He grinned wolfishly at Obi-Wan.

“So, Ob’ika, who’s Kiki?” He questioned, deciding to interrogate his father about why he had some random _adiik_ calling him later. Obi-Wan suddenly looked down, embarrassed. He mumbled something under his breath. Jango made a small noise. “What was that?”

“Kiki is Obi-Wan’s plush tooka.” Jaster answered instead. He walked to Jango, grabbed another chair and placed it next to him, so Obi-Wan would be able to see them both. He gave his _ad_ a warning look and turned back to Obi-Wan. “And I’m guessing Bruck has been picking on you again.” Obi-Wan nodded mournfully, still not raising his eyes.

 **‘He said ‘m too old fow toys.’** The _adiik_ whispered, tears filling his eyes. He sniffed. **‘He gwabbed hew and towe hew head off and the comm fell out.’** Obi-Wan gestured with his hands to show how it happened. **‘He stepped on it and told Miss Vant.’** He finished, dropping his hands down. Then he pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. **‘She said she was…’** He trailed off, frowning. **‘Dissa- dis- disaponted?’** He said unsure, and looked up at Jaster for help.

“Disappointed.” He spelled out calmly, although inside he was fuming. “Did she punish you?” Obi-Wan nodded again, biting his lower lip. Jaster took a deep breath. He knew he should not be angry, the teacher was only doing her job. But at the same time, he felt like it was his fault. Obi-Wan never took the comm out of the room he had found it. But apparently, he was afraid to miss Jaster’s call. The Mandalorian sighed tiredly. This was such a mess.

Jango gave Obi-Wan a puzzled look. “But why? If the other _adiik_ took your toy and tore it without any provocation from you, then they should be punished.” Jaster shook his head and snorted.

“Do you think all three-year-olds on the Core planets have personal comms?” He teased, making Jango blush. Obi-Wan momentary forgot about his broodiness, squeaking in offence.

 **‘Not thwee! Im’ma fouw soon!’** He protested and sulked, folding his arms and giving Jaster a hurt look.

Jaster hid his smile, nodding solemnly. “Of course, the 25th of Nelona, right?” He pretended to think.

 **‘ _Lek_.’** Obi-Wan answered, smiling a bit. Jaster relaxed into his seat.

“Now tell me, how did your presentation go?” Just before their forced break in contact, Jaster had helped Obi-Wan make a presentation on the marine life of Glee Anselm. Obi-Wan lit up and started speaking about his lesson.

Three hours later, when Obi-Wan started yawning, Jaster and Jango wished him a good night and finished the call.

They sat in silence for a few moments, until Jango turned to Jaster and asked: “So, who’s this _adiik_ and when will we pick him up?”

***

Jango was very frustrated when Jaster admitted that Obi-Wan did not tell him where he lived. Every time he tried to ask, the _adiik_ would stop talking and turn his face away from Jaster, only speaking again when the topic was changed. He was even angrier when Jaster told him how he had originally met Obi-Wan. It took him two hours at the ship’s shooting range to calm down. And he cheered up when Jaster told him how often Obi-Wan called.

Despite the fact that Jango was twelve years older than Obi-Wan, they quickly got along – Obi-Wan’s genuine interest in everything new, his kindness and shyness quickly endeared the sometimes-grumpy young man. He even caught up on Jango’s crush on Myles. The look on Jango’s face when Obi-Wan asked him earnestly if Myles was his _cyare_ was absolutely priceless. Jaster only smirked to himself, watching his _ade_ talk over the comm.

He had missed the exact moment when he started thinking about Obi-Wan as his own but well… Jaster did not regret it. If only Obi-Wan told him where he was.

A month after Jango found out about Obi-Wan, Jaster was at a meeting with his closest friends. They were sitting in a private room in some shady cantina on a backwater Outer Rim planet. Jaster was laughing his ass off at the story Tuc was telling. Montross, his right hand, was smirking in his drink.

“And then she turns to me and says: _‘I thought you’d be taller.’_ Can you imagine? Taller!” Tuc exclaimed, dropping his head on the table with a groan. Raigi Tualky, their resident slicer, snorted loudly.

“Let me guess, the date didn’t go well after that.” She teased Tuc, her voice sounded a little metallic through the speaker of her helmet. Raigi was from an old traditional clan, and strictly followed The Way. She never took her helmet off around non- _aliit_. That’s why she drank her drink through a straw, the front of her helmet slightly raised.

Tuc glared at her. “Astounding insight.” He said icily and set off another round of laughter.

Over the loud laughter, Jaster didn’t hear the call on his comm. But Arrud, one of their best pilots, did. “Hey, _Alor_ , I thought we agreed – no comm calls during gatherings.” He slurred and snatched Jaster’s comm, keeping it out of his reach. “Just because you’re our leader doesn’t mean that you can break the rules.” He said instructive.

“Give it back.” Jaster ordered, making to grab the comm, but Arrud threw it to Raigi, who in turn threw it to Tuc.

“No, no, no!” Tuc said, looking at Jaster. “We had an agreement. Anyway, who’s comming you?” He asked, frowning down at the comm. “It just says ‘R’ nothing else.” He grinned at Jaster. “You finally found someone and trying to hide them from us?”

“I said give it back!” Jaster snapped, lunging forward at Tuc. The Vurk fell down with a yelp and Jaster pressed him down. “Now, there’s what-”

 **‘Jastew?’** The voice made Jaster freeze and slowly turn his head to the side. The comm was lying on the floor and apparently Tuc accidentally accepted the call when Jaster bumped into him. Obi-Wan stared at them with fear and concern. **‘What’s goin’ on?’**

Montross leaned forward, blinking slowly at the image. _“Tion’cuy?”_ He asked. Obi-Wan turned to frown at him.

 **‘ _New gai Obi-Wan.’_** He replied coolly and raised his chin at Montross in challenge. ** _‘Tion gar gai?’_**

“Montross,” Jaster’s right hand replied in bafflement. Obi-Wan still eyed him with suspicious. Jaster used everyone’s surprise to grab the comm and sit back down at the table.

“It’s alright, _rev’ika_. These are just my friends, remember I told you that sometimes they are a bit...” He paused, searching for the right word.

 ** _‘Di'kutla?’_** Obi-Wan supplied and Jaster nodded tersely, vowing to wrung Jango’s neck when he saw him later, for teaching the _adiik_ such words.

Tuc whistled sharply and pressed closer to Jaster in order to get a better look at Obi-Wan. “What a word you know, _ad’ika_!” He said with a teasing grin. Obi-Wan frowned at him and glanced at Jaster.

Jaster only sighed, knowing full well what was about to happen.

“Obi-Wan, these are Tuc Qog, Raigi Tualky, Arrud Kega and Montross.” He introduced tiredly, pointing at each of his friends, who waved or nodded at the _adiik_ in greeting.

Obi-Wan smiled at them, all wariness gone. **‘** _ **Jatne at urcir gar!’**_ He said brightly. Jaster could practically see Tuc melting into his seat.

 _“Kaysh su copikla."_ He whispered. And then asked louder: “So, tell me, how do you know our _Alor_?”

Jaster wanted to curl his fingers around the back of Tuc’s tunic and shake him. Hard. Instead he sent him a heated glare.

Obi-Wan did not seem put out by any of it. **‘** **Jastew is teachin’ me _Mando’a._ ’** He declared proudly.

Raigi made a considering noise, “Really?” She leaned forward, her helmet tilted to the side and Jaster heard Obi-Wan gasp.

 ** _‘Gaw beskaw’gam mesh’la!’_** He whispered in awe, eyes roaming over the visible parts of her armor. Raigi chuckled.

“Why, thank you, little one.” She replied and Jaster easily heard teasing notes in her voice. “It’s been a long time since I received such a genuine compliment.” The woman joked as Obi-Wan’s eyes settled on her silver helmet with several mis-sized horns on it and gray strips near the visor. Then Obi-Wan turned sad and he murmured.

 **‘I’m sowwy for youw loss.’** Raigi stiffened, astonished. Obi-Wan looked at her with concern. **‘Did I say it wong?’** He asked helplessly.

Raigi shook her head. “ _Nayc, ad’ika._ You said it right.” She replied, her usually steady voice shaking slightly. _“Vor entye.”_ She whispered. Obi-Wan still looked a little upset, so Tuc cut in again.

“Hey, Obi-Wan, how did you meet Jaster?” He asked, successfully distracting Obi-Wan, who started telling Tuc about the first time he called Jaster.

Meanwhile, Jaster squeezed Raigi’s hand comfortingly and received a small grateful nod in reply.

Raigi’s _riduur_ had died on a mission several years ago. She was mostly recovered by now, but sometimes it still hurt her to remember him.

Jaster turned his attention back to the comm and found that somehow Tuc had roped Arrud, Montross and Obi-Wan into a heated argument about _tookas_ of all things. He could only watch silently, trying to contain his laughter.

The conversation dragged on for several hours, the topics were changing with cosmic speed, as Jaster’s friends set themselves a mission to find out everything they could about the strange _adiik_ who was calling their _Alor_. Much of what Jaster had heard was already known to him, and some of it was news to him. Like the fact that Obi-Wan was allergic to hoi-broth. Or that he’d never tried a frozen treat.

That fact Tuc took as a personal insult.

“But how could it be possible?” He asked incredulously, completely missing the way Obi-Wan stiffened and seemed to curl into himself. “I mean, it’s the basic sweet, where do you even live?”

Arrud elbowed him swiftly, and when Tuc turned to glare at him signed: _‘Shut it.’_

Raigi stepped in, while the two of them were distracted. “I’ve never tried it either.” She admitted. Obi-Wan glanced at her shily.

**‘Weally?’**

Raigi nodded solemnly. “Really. So maybe we will try it together sometime?” She proposed, receiving an enthusiastic nod from Obi-Wan.

Sadly, the call ended when Obi-Wan looked at the watch on the wall and regretfully informed the Mandalorians that he had to go to dinner.

“See you later, _rev’ika_.” Jaster said habitually. Obi-Wan smiled and waved at him.

 **‘See ya! _Wet'urcye mhi,_ Waigi, Awwud, Tuc and Montwoss!’** With that he turned the comm off.

A few beats of silence followed. Until-

“He seems like a good _ad_.” Raigi hummed, giving Jaster a questioning look. The _Mand’alor_ groaned, dropping his head on the table with a ‘thump.’

“And a damn stubborn one.” He muttered. “It’s been months and I still have no idea where he lives!” He complained.

This statement was followed by a long hour of questioning and clarification, which seemed endless to Jaster. Finally, Arrud slapped him on the back and said: “Give him some time. He’ll have to get used to you a little, you’ll see, he’ll tell you everything soon.”

Jaster decided to believe his friend. Eventually, he would find out.

So he was just talking to Obi-Wan when the _adiik_ called. They were often joined by Jango or Myles, who was finally officially introduced to Obi-Wan. Often, one of Jaster's friends, who was free at the time, would simply take the communicator away from him to talk to Obi-Wan. Arrud had told him about starships, Raigi spoke about slicing and circumventing security systems, and Tuc had just been fooling around and joking. Over time, more and more _Mando’ade_ learned about Obi-Wan, got to know him, and seemed to immediately love him. They even accepted the fact that he was blessed by _ka’ra_. Some of the gifted among _Mando’ade_ made it a point to introduce themselves to Obi-Wan and mention it. None of them were as strong as him, their dreams few and vague, but Obi-Wan did not mind it at all.

Six months later, the Supercommando were already used to seeing their _Alor_ with his comm on, patiently explaining another period of _Mandalorian_ history to the red-haired boy.

And all that was great, Jango has long been started calling Obi-Wan his _vod’ika_ and the Mandalorians referred to Obi-Wan only as _Alor’s evaar'la ad_ , asking when they would be able to meet him.

Obi-Wan only blushed and ducked his head, so the _Mando’ade_ tried not to push him too fast.

Life was good.

And then Jaster accepted a contract on Korda-Six.

***

**7925 C.R.C.**

“All set?” Jaster asked, mentally checking himself to make sure all his gear was in place.

 _“Elek, Alor.”_ A harmonious chorus of voices rang out from all sides. Jaster nodded in satisfaction. He and the Headhunter Company were standing in the cargo bay of the ship, preparing to land. Jaster activated the intercom on his helmet. “Jango, Montross, report.”

“We’re ready, _Alor_ , landing in three minutes.” Jango answered immediately.

“Our ETA is five minutes.” Montross replied.

“Great.” Jaster muttered, and cut the connection, turning back to his men.

He was about to go over the plan again, but was interrupted by the sound of his comm ringing. Jaster frowned, trying to figure out what Obi-Wan might need. There was no doubt that it was him, since everyone else who knew the number was now practically in Jaster’s field of vision. He moved away to answer and couldn’t tame his growing worry.

He told Obi-Wan that he would be busy in the next few days. Obi-Wan had never bothered Jaster about something meaningless, and the fact that he was calling now only meant that something terrible had happened.

He accepted the call, a question ready to leave his lips, but-

 **‘DON’T GO!’** Obi-Wan cried out as soon as he appeared. **‘ _Buir, gedet'ye_ , don’t go!’ **He begged, sobbing heavily, his eyes and face red and puffy.

“ _Rev’ika_ , what’s the matter?” Jaster tried to ask, but Obi-Wan was not listening.

 **‘You can’t go! They’ll kill you! They’ll kill you and hurt Raigi!’** Obi-Wan shouted, his breath becoming labored as he struggled to get the words out. **‘A man in black armor with a red insignia on his shoulder and a black _jetti’kad_ will kill you!’** He heaved, the lack of the air finally catching up with him.

“Breathe, _rev’ika_ , breathe.” Jaster coaxed gently, ignoring the worried murmurs of his men behind him. Obi-Wan was very loud, there was no way they did not hear him. “It’s alright, breathe.” Obi-Wan shook his head.

**‘T’s not! It’s a trap! You’re going to die and Montross won’t help you, he is a traitor, and Jango will be left alone and-’**

**‘-Wan?’** Came an unfamiliar voice from Obi-Wan’s side. The _adiik’s_ eyes went even wider, panic completely flooding him. Obi-Wan’s desperate gaze was the last thing Jaster saw before the call was cut off abruptly.

He tried to call back, but no one answered. He stared silently at his comm, shock-still, his mind processing the events of the previous minutes.

“ _Alor_?” Raiga’s voice called gently. Jaster slowly raised his head in her direction. All his men were staring at him, some concerned, others angry. “Do you think _Ob’ika_ had a vision?” Raiga asked.

“Impossible.” Someone from the back objected. “He described Tor Vizsla, who is long dead. And why would Montross betray us?”

Jaster shook himself out of his stupor, gripping the comm tight.

“Nonetheless,” He began in a low, calm voice. The men quieted instantly. “We’ll check Obi-Wan’s words. He believed in what he was saying.” Jaster said, feeling his blood boil at the memory of his _ad’s_ terrified face. “Besides, we shouldn’t become overconfident.”

Turned out it was a trap.

Montross was a traitor.

Tor Vizsla was alive.

A week later, Jaster was in his quarters. He was sitting on his bed, elbows resting on his knees, head held in his palms.

No luck.

They could not find Obi-Wan.

Just like before, when they tried to track the signal down while they were talking, it got lost somewhere in the Core Rim.

Raigi said the signal was heavily encrypted. She and their team of slicers had been trying to find where Obi-Wan was living since the day they met in that cantina.

Jango spent his days on a shooting range with a worried Myles next to him.

Tuc and Arrud took turns on ‘Alor watch’ as they called it. They reminded Jaster about meetings, meal times when he spent too much time planning another campaign to take the Death Watch down, if only to feel useful again.

They still could not find Obi-Wan. Not a year later, not two, not three.

People stopped giving sympathetic looks to Jaster and Jango, realizing that it wouldn’t help matters in any way. Obi-Wan was rarely spoken of, _Mando’ade_ took his loss hard.

And then, eight years later, while he was planning an assault, Jaster got a call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> Mando'a 
> 
> Ad – A child  
> Buir’e – Parents  
> Buir – Parent  
> Mando’ade – Mandalorians (pl) - sons and/ or daughters of  
> Mandalore  
> Resol'nare – The six tenets of Mandalorian culture  
> Ade – Children, sons, daughters  
> Adiik - Child aged 3 to 13  
> Shabuir – Extreme insult, "jerk", but much stronger  
> Jatne at urcir gar, Obi-Wan – Nice to meet you, Obi-Wan  
> Kandosii! – Well done!  
> Jate – Good  
> Su cuy'gar, ner gai Jaster. Tion gar gai? – Hello, my name is Jaster. What is your name?  
> Jetii'kad – Lightsaber; Literally: “Sword of (the) Jedi”  
> Copikla – Charming, cute (babies and animals, never women unless you want your head ripped off)\  
> Elek – Yes  
> Ka’ra – Stars, ancient Mandalorian myth – ruling council of fallen kings  
> Ret'urcye mhi – Goodbye, - lit. *Maybe we'll meet again*  
> Haat Mando’ade – True Mandalorians  
> Alor – Chancellor  
> Cyare – Beloved, loved, popular  
> Aliit – Family, clan  
> Tion’cuy? – Who's that? (often used as a challenge to identify someone - like *Halt! Who goes there?*  
> Di'kutla – Useless, stupid, worthless  
> Ad’ika – Little one, son, daughter, of any age - also used informally to adults much like *lads* or *guys*,  
> Kaysh su copikla – He is so cute  
> Gaw beskaw’gam mesh’la! (Gar beskar’gam mesh’la!) – Your armor is beautiful!  
> Nayc, ad’ika – No, little one  
> Vor entye – Thank you  
> Riduur – Spouse, husband, wife  
> Mand’alor – Sole ruler  
> Vod’ika – Little brother  
> Alor’s evaar'la ad – Chancellor’s youngest son  
> Buir, gedet'ye, don’t go! – Dad, please, don’t go!


	2. Two – A second first meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly, thank you all so much for your support! I honestly did not expect that much excitement on your part, but I am incredibly happy!  
> Secondly, the Mando’a translations are now placed not far from the phrase itself in the text.  
> Thirdly, about the update schedule. I can’t say anything here, it directly depends on my workload at the university and my inspiration.  
> And both are unpredictable.  
> I also edited the last chapter. Now there are dates! 
> 
> For those who read my other SW works – I’ve updated them all today. Have a good time reading)

**7933 C.R.C.**

Obi-Wan stared at the comm in his hands, unsure.

He had not been able to get through, not that he was sure that the frequency he was using even existed... Obi-Wan sighed wearily, eyes clenched shut. He could try calling the Temple... Surely now that there was no active fighting on the planet, they would be able to send someone to help with the negotiations? It was so temping to just call and let someone else deal with everything, take responsibility… He was _so_ tired of all those deaths. The Force was heavy with grief and pain and Obi-Wan could not _breathe_.

He rubbed his grumbling stomach distractedly. Hanger was the least of his problems nowadays. He did not even pay much attention to it, simply knowing that there was nothing he could do to ease it. Besides, the younger ones needed rations more. Obi-Wan had the Force, he would be fine.

Still, as he absently turned the comm in his fingers, he could not help but dread that foreboding feeling that loomed over the planet. It was a heavy, suffocating thing. He did not understand it, they had stopped the war! Peace was established, yes, a little shaky but still peace! And yet…

Obi-Wan’s hand hovered over the comm.

He wanted to call the Temple. He _so_ wanted to hear the voice of a Jedi responsible for incoming calls or the voice of any Master, absolutely any. He wanted to ask how Master Tahl’s recovery was going, how Quinlan and Siri passed their exams, were they taken as Padawans already? He needed to know if Feemor had returned from his mission. Force, he wanted to ask so many things…

Obi-Wan did not even care if he was accepted back or not, if Master Qui-Gon would not even spare a glance at him. If Bruck would tease and ridicule him. It would not matter. If only they help the Young.

And calling the Temple would help accomplish it. they would be safe. The choice seemed rather simple.

But…

But every time Obi-Wan closed his eyes, he saw that man. That Mandalorian.

He was holding another Mandalorian, voice frantic, as they spoke in language Obi-Wan thought he vaguely recognized but knew it was impossible. And yet, _he knew_ that the Mandalorian was begging the other to hold on, to live. It was evident in his voice, his tone and pure devastation circled around him in the Force.

And Obi-Wan’s heart was aching for him, he knew how hard it was to lose a loved one, even though he had never experienced that firsthand.

But he had felt that pain more than once, watching parents lose their children, brothers lose their sisters, people with no blood connection at all were completely destroyed… and so on in the endless cycle of life and death.

Sympathy and sadness were not surprising feelings in such a situation. But here... It was something else, something more personal. As if Obi-Wan knew this Mandalorian, knew his fallen brethren, which was ridiculous. Obi-Wan had never even seen a Mandalorian in his life, except on a holo during history lessons.

However, Obi-Wan’s breath got caught in his throat when he felt the Mandalorian’s light disappear. And he wanted to prevent that death. He knew he could. If only he could get through, he would be able to help avoid a truly horrifying bloodshed.

(Even genocide, if his visions were to be trusted.)

But he also had a responsibility to the Young. A Jedi Master would surely successfully ease the tension on the planet, Obi-Wan did not doubt that.

Under any other circumstances, he would have just called both parties. But the only undamaged long-range comm had power for only one call. Just one. Obi-Wan had to choose, and the Force was coincidentally silent, just occasionally caressing his cheek lightly. It was giving him a chance to make his own choice. And Obi-Wan was absolutely horrified.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, reaching inside himself. Images began to flash before his closed eyelids.

_A Mandalorian in dirty armor, both of their shoulder pads bright red. They had an emblem – a skull of some kind of horned animal made in black paint on a yellow background. There were diamond-shaped yellow lines on their chest plate._

Obi-Wan couldn’t understand why the mere sight of this Mandalorian made him feel safe… And loved. How was it possible? Why?

He frowned and reached deeper.

_The familiar buzz of an ignited lightsaber, green and blue glow of twin blades._

_Angry shouts. Loud curses._

_Pain. Death._

_Blaster bolts flying back and forth. Mandalorians falling under the onslaught of the enemy who took them in a vice. The Jedi in the front. Mandalorians in blue armor at the back._

_More pain. More death._

_Silence. A lone Mandalorian on his knees, surrounded by the bodies of fallen brothers and family members._

_And then, pain again._

Obi-Wan’s eyes flew open and he shuddered with a gasp, doubling over in shock. His breath was irregular, coming out in short pants. Tears gathered in his eyes. He gritted his teeth.

He would not let that happen. He _could not_ let it happen.

Gathering his thoughts, Obi-Wan pressed the record button.

***

Jaster rubbed his eyes tiredly and heaved a sigh. Tuc was arguing loudly with Machen Edre, a female Togruta, one of their pilots. Fortunately, none of the others joined in, or the meeting would have been even more horrid.

This meeting lasted all day and they could not come to an agreement. The Governor of Galidraan informed them that his city was suffering from bandit attacks and hired them to hunt them down. It would seem that the job could not be simpler. However, since the Governor could not provide them with information about these bandits’ weapons, Jaster had to send his scouts. The data they brought back was not the most comforting.

Somehow, these bandits had obtained three AT-TE, not to mention the Z-6 rotary blaster cannons that each of them seemed to be equipped with. Which didn’t make it any easier for Jaster and his lieutenants to plan the takeover. He wasn’t going to lose his men to a poorly planned operation. However, even a single AT-TE was a serious opponent, and this was the reason for the dispute between Tuc and Maсhen.

“–and I say we can’t just blow them up from the air! There may be prisoners there!” Tuc said hotly, glaring at Machen. The Togruta huffed, and rolled her eyes.

“We are not going to drop bombs on them! We will launch several missiles for a more targeted strike, which will allow us to minimize the target area and disable the AT-TE.” She argued back. Tuc’s eye twitched and Jaster wanted to bang their heads together so they would stop.

Just as he was about to stand up, his communicator beeped, informing him that he had a missed call. Jaster frowned. Raigi had explained that due to the strange magnetic field in the atmosphere, the comms could be buggy, which would make communication much more difficult. In the three days they’d been here, Jaster had missed a call from Jango while he was patrolling the back of their camp, and one call from Arrud, who was part of another mission. He and his men were supposed to join them right before the start of the assault.

Figuring that it might be him, Jaster decided to check and frowned harder. The caller’s id was not familiar to him, but this had happened before when one of his inner circle broke their comms and had to use one belonging to someone else. Jaster wanted to excuse himself and walk away to call back, when a message came from the same frequency.

Without thinking, he opened it and promptly froze at the sight that opened in front of him.

There was an _ad_ on the holo. With unruly red hair, pale skin, and bright eyes. They were seated, so Jaster could only see them from the waist up. They were wrapped in a brown cloak of some sort. Jaster couldn’t see their background, only that they were in a hall somewhere, leaning against a pillar but he heard a gentle murmur of several conversations, meaning they were not alone in that hall, just some distance away from others. The _ad_ sighed, clearly gathering their strength, and looked directly into the recording device.

 **‘Hello, my name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. This is a message for _Haat Mando’ade_. I don’t know if it will get through, but I have to try. Please hear me out, you don’t have to believe me, but just listen.’** Obi-Wan, _his Obi-Wan, his ad_ , pleaded, as if Jaster could ever ignore him. Jaster watched his _ad_ carefully, not daring to take his eyes away, afraid that he would disappear (again).

 **‘Galidraan is a trap, one of the officials is working with your enemies in blue armor. If you take the fight, you will be trapped with them on one side and the Jedi on the other.’** Obi-Wan paused, taking a shaky breath. **‘I can’t say how I know this, but please believe my words! Otherwise, the Galaxy will lose _Haat Mando’ade_ forever.’** He said, looking very grim. **‘I-’** The _ad_ stopped himself and rubbed his eyes wearily. **‘What am I doing?’** He muttered tiredly, running a hand through his hair. **‘I just-’** He started, looking a little lost, then suddenly, a voice cut him off.

 **‘Obi-Wan! They are storming the Halls of Evidence!’** Someone exclaimed. Obi-Wan’s eyes widened and he jumped to his feet. In his haste, he dropped the comm on the floor. The recording ended at the sound of a Huttese curse and a pair of running footsteps.

Jaster simply continued to stare at his comm. It took him some time to realize that the room was dead silent. He raised his gaze and found that everyone was looking at him. But Jaster found his own eyes settling on his other _ad_.

Jango was gripping Myles’ forearm tightly. “ _Buir_ , is that- was that?” He stuttered, unable to actually form a question. Jaster nodded mutely, searching for Raigi.

“ _Al’verde?”_ He started, but Raigi waved him off, typing away on her datapad.

“Already on it, _Alor_. I just need a few… got it!” She exclaimed triumphantly and stepped closer to Jaster, showing him the screen. “The signal is terrible, but I managed to track it down to the sector it came from.” Jaster looked it over and frowned.

“Cadavine sector? It will take forever to search, only Zhar system has four orbits and there are five systems. Can you narrow it down?” He asked, ignoring Machen’s quiet voice asking Tuc what was going on. Raigi hummed.

“I can try. Sent me that message, I’ll comm my team.” She murmured, taking a step back and activating the internal commlink in her _buy’ce_.

“ _Alor_?” Machen called hesitantly. Jaster raised his head up from the comm to look at here questioningly.

She had joined Skirata’s clan a few years after Obi-Wan’s last call. She knew of him, but never met him. Her eyes were soft when she came closer.

“Are we going to verify the _ad’s_ words?” She asked, voicing everyone’s thought. Jaster looked around the room.

Most of the men here had met Obi-Wan and were with him on the Korda-Six mission. They saw themselves just how closely tied to _Ka’ra_ Obi-Wan was.

And now their expressions were grim. They could take on a ragtag group of bandits, even with three AT-TE. But to fight against them, the _Jetiise_ **and** Death Watch (Jaster had no doubt that it was them, Obi-Wan description was quite telling. And they were not able to catch all of them, some, like Tor, escaped. It was just a matter of time for him to reappear) at the same time? That was a death sentence.

Jaster set his jaw. “Tamre, Cus, I need you to find out who and how communicates with _Kyr’tsad_.” The named two nodded silently and left the tent. “Sollaz, Jess, Lora, Tii’gal – find where they are hiding. Do not engage.” Jaster said with a stern look and turned to the rest of his men. “Va, Braffe, Colt,” He selected. “I want to know what _haran_ possessed the _Jetiise_ to come here.” They nodded and also left. Jaster pondered for a moment, then looked at Machen. “You and Tuc will continue to plan the campaign. But do not take any action until we know more.”

“Tuc, patrol schedules are also on you. Everyone without an order, except Jango and Myles, are at your disposal.”

“ _Lek_ , _Alor_.” A choir of voices answered him and everyone started moving.

Soon, only he, Jango and Myles were in the room. Jaster dropped heavily into his seat. He sent the message to Raigi and then replayed it again, trying to memorize every new detail on his _ad’s_ face. “What happened to you, _ad’ika_?” He murmured quietly.

Jango and Myles approached him. Jaster briefly looked up, to gauge his eldest son’s condition. Jango was a little paler than usual, but that was not from fear, no. That was from anger.

Jango’s eyes were glued to the little image. His fists were involuntary clenching and he was trembling slightly from rage. “He looks so thin. _Me’bana bah gar_ _?”_ Jango unknowingly echoed his father’s words. Jaster reached out and squeezed his forearm.

“We’ll find him and then he’ll tell us himself.” Jaster said in a tone that brooked no argument, sure of his words. They would find Obi-Wan this time. It was just a matter of time.

***

In the end, it took Raigi and her team five hours to narrow down the search. Unfortunately, she couldn’t pinpoint the exact planet, but at least now Jaster knew that they would not have to search the Zhar System. That would have been incredibly long. And tedious.

So, they were left with three planets to search – Eos, Maiil and Melida/Daan. Jaster have not heard much about them, aside from the fact that it would take a hell of a long time to get there.

And the most frustrating of all – he could not even go on the search himself!

He had to stay and oversee the mission. Since, officially, Jaster did not back off from it. On the contrary, he fully intended to fulfill it. He was only waiting for his men to return with information. And once they knew who exactly was working with the Death Watch, they would make plans and proceed.

But until then his hands were tied and he was planet-bound. Most of his men too. And he would not trust just anyone with this task. Jaster had no doubt in his men abilities, but this… this was personal. This was _his_ kid.

Jaster sighed. He needed to choose.

He glanced at Jango, who was sitting across him with Myles. Jango had his face hidden in Myles’ shoulder, Myles was carefully running his hands through Jango’s short hair. Jaster knew he would not be able to keep Jango here. No force in the Galaxy could stop his headstrong son from searching for his _vod’ika_. And Myles, his _cyare_ , would follow.

That was one team. Jaster closed his eyes, thinking deeply.

Raigi would also want to go. She and Obi-Wan had shared a special bond, from the moment they met. If Jaster had not claimed him first, he was sure Raigi would have done so.

That’s two.

Tuc would have to stay here, he was Jaster’s second in command. Jaster needed him close.

He could not call Arrud, or anyone else. If Death Watch was near, he did not want to risk exposing Obi-Wan’s existence to them.

But who else was there? Jaster tapped his fingers on the table, eyes drifting down to his commlink. Several messages from different units were open on the screen. Jaster’s gaze stopped on one in particular.

_*Alor, we detected Tor Vizsla’s presence in the bandit camp. We continue monitoring, waiting for further instructions.*_

_*Machen Edre*_

Well. She was good. Jaster sighed and reached out to type his orders. A ping indicated that both Raigi and Machen had received his messages.

 _*I’m leaving immediately.*_ Came Raigi’s reply.

 _*Will be done, Alor.*_ Machen texted.

Jango and Myles just stared at their comms, then at him, nodded and left together.

Jaster closed his eyes. ‘Soon, _ad’ika_. Wait just a little longer. We’re coming.’

***

Raigi switched several tumblers, slowing the ship as she hovered in Melida/Daan’s ATMO. She looked at the planet with a small frown.

There wasn’t much information available about this planet, but what Raigi found wasn’t good. The planet was torn apart by years of active civil war. Even though Raigi wanted to see Obi-Wan again as soon as possible, she hoped with all her heart that she wouldn’t find him here.

She had to be careful with her descent. Landing in the middle of a battle would be rather unpleasant. But the only way to locate the comm was to search from the ground.

The ship landed in the middle of a desert, not a single living being for miles around. Raigi nodded to herself and pulled out a locating device.

She had supplied two other search teams with this tech too, so they would not have to blindly search the planets, city after city.

Raigi closely observed the work of the device. When she finally got the result, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to overcome her terror. He was here. Their _Alor’s_ barely thirteen-year-old son was here. On a planet with active combat operations. What the hell was he doing here?

Raigi connected the device to the ship’s navigation system and followed the signal. She landed it not far from the city to which the signal led. After locking the ship, Raigi carefully headed towards the city. The streets were quiet, and Raigi didn’t notice a single passer-by. She hid in the shadows, moving away from the open streets. Scanning the space with her scanner, she found that most of the buildings around her were also empty. One or two had small groups of adults. But she didn’t detect any children anywhere. Raigi felt wary. Something was wrong. Seriously wrong.

Two hours later, Raigi finally approached the place from which the call was made. She scanned the building and didn’t find a single living soul. It was unlikely that there would be droids inside, given the state of the planet, so Raigi decided not to search the building. It was doubtful that there would be any information there.

She was pondering on her next move when her scanner detected movement on her right. Silently, Raigi fell back into the shadows.

She saw a humanoid _ad_. They looked old enough for _verd’goten_. Something nudged Raigi and she decided to follow them.

The _ad_ had copper hair. They seemed nervous, constantly looking around, one hand on the blaster on their hip.

There was a bag slung over their shoulder, and from the readings of her screen, Raigi knew it contained medical supplies. Of a rather poor quality, which made Raigi frown. How bad were things on this planet that an _ad_ had to steal (from the looks of it) medical supplies?

Her dynamics picked up the _ad’s_ mutter. “C’mon, c’mon. He needs you.” And Raigi recognized their voice. It was the same voice that interrupted Obi-Wan’s message. Raigi was filled with new resolve.

She followed the _ad_ for another fifteen minutes until they disappeared into an inconspicuous, dilapidated building. Raigi scanned it and picked only one other life form besides the _ad_.

After using her jetpack to got to the roof, she quietly slid in through the hole in the ceiling. Raigi then cautiously followed the sound of the _ad’s_ voice. They were clearly distraught by something.

Raigi found them in a dimly lit room, littered with rubble and rubbish. In the middle, in a relatively clean area, there was a table on which someone lay, covered with a thin blanket. In front of it with their back to Raigi, was the _ad_. They were leaning on the table, their head hanging down in defeat.

“Please,” They whispered, voice full of tears. “Please, let it work.” They begged. Raigi turned on the scanner in her _buy’ce_. She frowned at the readings. The unknown person’s vital signs were unstable, indicating a severe injury. Raigi was not a full trained medic, but she had picked a thing or two over the years. During the battle, it was not always possible to get to _baar’ur_. They had to cope on their own.

“Hello.” Raigi called calmly. She did not flinch when the _ad_ spun around and pointed their blaster at her. Raigi slowly raised her hands, showing that she was not a threat. “I mean no harm.” She promised solemnly.

The _ad_ stared coldly at her. “Who are you?” They demanded, hands firm and unshaking. Raigi cocked her head a little.

“You can call me Mando. She/her. I mean no harm.” Raigi repeated.

The _ad_ pressed their lips in a firm line, grin eyes sparkling. “Cerasi.” They finally relented. And then added: “She/her.” Cerasi looked Raigi over. “What are you doing here?” She asked, still not lowering the blaster. 

Raigi recognized that kind of behavior. This _ad_ was a warrior who rarely trusted anyone and was suspicious of strangers. It’s better not to provoke her. Especially when Raigi needed her help.

“I am looking for someone. And I believe that you can help me.” Cerasi raised an eyebrow.

She opened their mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a moan of pain. Cerasi instantly turned around, her attention solely on the person on the table.

“Obi-Wan?” Raigi froze, but Cerasi did not see it. “Obi-Wan, do you hear me?”

She only got another pained groan in response. Cerasi let a half-sob, turning her head, no doubt to tell Raigi off, but Raigi was already moving closer. She gently pushed Cerasi aside, ignoring her protests and the blaster pointed at her head.

For the first time in her life, Raigi saw Obi-Wan in person. She always imagined it to be a joyous meeting, with Jaster proudly introducing a new member of his clan to the rest of the _Mando’ade_ , with Jango grinning from ear to ear as he ruffled Obi-Wan’s hair while the _ad_ himself batted his hand away and smiled sheepishly.

Instead Obi-Wan was laying still and pale on a questionably clean table. His face was red with fever and Raigi’s scanners said that he was burning up, but despite that fact Obi-Wan was shivering. There was dirt and matted blood in his hair. A huge bruise was blooming on his left cheek. Raigi looked down, pulling the blanket away.

A makeshift bandage was wrapped around his stomach. It was not fresh, and Raigi cringed a little at the sight of blood. She would have to soak it, to peel it off. And he was thin. Too thin. Raigi could count his ribs without any trouble.

Taking her glove off, she pressed her hand lightly to Obi-Wan’s side. He was very hot to touch. Raigi guessed that he probably had an infection. She caressed his face gently and murmured quietly:

“ _Me’bana bah gar_ , _ad’ika?”_ _What happened to you, kid?_

“What are you doing?” Cerasi cried out worriedly. “Get away from him!” She ordered, waving the blaster around. Raigi slowly turned her head to look at the agitated _ad_.

“I just want to help.” Cerasi snorted, shaking her head a little.

“Really?” She bit out. “Did not you want _my_ help not a minute ago?” She asked sarcastically.

Raigi shook her head lightly, turning her head back to Obi-Wan. “I found the one I was looking for.” She stated simply and Cerasi froze, her eyes widening.

“You- you were looking for Obi-Wan?” She asked, incredulous. Raigi nodded silently. Cerasi narrowed her eyes. “Why? Who are you to him?” She questioned, suspicion bleeding into their tone.

Raigi hesitated for a moment. This _ad_ clearly cared for Obi-Wan and she was very protective of him. Perhaps they were friends. Raigi did not want to fight with Obi-Wan’s friend, even verbally. (And she would sooner cut off her own arm than hurt a child.)

Slowly, Raigi opened the screen in her vambrace. She searched for a moment, then selected one particular file and opened it.

A bluish holo appeared in the air above her arm.

Tiny Obi-Wan, at the age of four, was grinning at the camera.

 **‘I did it!’** He exclaimed happily. Raigi watched him fondly, noting that Cerasi froze at the sight of him. Meanwhile, tiny Obi-Wan raised a small wooden model of a Mon Calamari cruiser.

 **‘That you did. Good job, _Rev’ika_.’** Came Raigi’s amused voice. Cerasi startled a little at her side.

Obi-Wan beamed. **_‘Vor’e, al’verde!’_** He replied, smiling brightly.

Raigi turned the recording off, and reached out to brush Obi-Wan’s hair off his face.

Cerasi stared at her for a heartbeat. “Are you his relative?” She asked, still sounding wary.

“I am his friend.” Raigi replied after a moment of consideration. Cerasi glanced down at Obi-Wan, and then something inside her broke, her distant facade disappearing. She slumped forward, leaning hard on the table. Tears gathered in her eyes.

“I can’t help him.” She whispered, cradling a shaking hand through Obi-Wan’s dirty hair. “I did my best, but I don’t have much medicine, and the ones I do have, they- they don’t help.”

Raigi carefully laid a hand on their shoulder. Cerasi froze for a moment, but then relaxed, keeping her head down. “I’ll do everything in my power to save him.” Raigi vowed quietly.

Gently pushing Cerasi in the chair, Raigi took a med-bag off her belt. Inside was everything that could be used to treat wounds received in battle.

First, Raigi took out a micro-sonic vibration injector and filled it with a pain killer. She then injected it into Obi-Wan’s neck.

After that she soaked a cloth with water and pressed it gently to the bandage.

Obi-Wan moaned, his face contorted with pain and he tried to move away. Raigi shushed him softly.

It took her ten minutes to remove the bandage. Beneath it was a gaping wound. It didn’t look like it was from a blaster. “Where did a slugthrower come from?” She whispered to herself, pushing away a roaring pulse of anger that rose inside her at this sight.

Obi-Wan whimpered, his glazed eyes opening for a moment, then closing shut again.

Suddenly, Cerasi heaved a sob. Raigi stared at her in surprise. The _ad_ was shaking in the seat. “It’s all my fault. That hit was meant for me! He took it for me!” She cried, hiding her face in her hands.

As much as Raigi wanted to comfort her, she had to treat that wound. It was indeed infected and Raigi did not want to waste any more time. “Can you tell me what happened?” She asked softly.

Cerasi took a shuddering breath and straightened up and then suddenly snorted, a little hysterically. “A lot happened, actually.” She replied, staring up at the ceiling. After a few moments of silence, she started speaking again. “You probably know that we have a war going on here. Melida vs. Daan. So, a year ago, we got tired of it. And we decided to show the Elders that war is not an option.”

“We?” Raigi asked, trying to sound calm, though she was growing apprehensive inside. She didn’t like the implications of the _ad’s_ words at all.

Cerasi nodded distractedly. “The Young. Children of both Melida and Daan. I, Obi-Wan, and another boy, Nield, were the Generals. And we accepted everyone who wanted to fight for our future, whether from Melida or Daan.” Raigi almost did not hear her next words, too wrapped up in the meaning of the previous ones.

These children had been fighting. They were soldiers. And apparently, they were fighting with adults. Adults! How did this happen? What kind of _demagolka_ would even think of laying a hand on a child?

And Cerasi said she was leading them. Along with Obi-Wan and another boy. Oh, _Ka’ra_ help her. Did that mean they were the oldest out there?

“And we won, about a month ago, we finally managed to stop the war.” Cerasi whispered, her voice becoming strained, unaware of Raigi’s inner turmoil. “But then Nield and I disagreed about what political direction we should take. Obi-Wan tried to get us to see reason, but we wouldn’t listen to him. And then Nield decided to destroy the Hall of Evidence, the repository of our history. I couldn’t let that happen, so Obi-Wan and I tried to stop him...”

Cerasi cut herself, tears now streaming freely down her face. “And then the shooting started. I have no idea who initiated it, it’s all a blur, but at one point I was yelling at Nield, and then Obi-Wan tackled me... Taking the shot that was meant for **me**.” She clenched her fists tightly. Raigi also noticed that she was shaking slightly. “And then he did not respond, I just- just… I just snapped.” Cerasi said tiredly, slumping forward, all fight leaving her.

“I stood up and yelled at them all. At Nield, at the Elders, at my father. Told them that this war will end us all, that I want peace for my future children and for them. And they all just froze.” Cerasi chuckled bitterly, lowering her face, hair falling down, hiding it from Raigi’s view. “So I grabbed the nearest person I could trust and we dragged Obi out. Then I brought him here… and now I don’t even know if he will survive.” Cerasi sobbed.

Raigi let her cry, sensing that it was needed. She finished tending Obi-Wan’s wound and was pleased to see that the drugs she had injected were already working. After tying the wound with a fresh bandage, Raigi turned to Cerasi.

“He will survive. Obi-Wan is a fighter.” Raigi said, pressing a few buttons on her vambrace and showed Cerasi the data. She pointed at one line. “See, here. It says that the medicine is working. His fever is going to break soon. He might even wake up in a few hours. Although, I doubt he would be conscious enough for a conversation.” Cerasi’s eyes turned hopeful.

“Thank the stars.” She breathed out and let out a small relieved laugh. “Delia would-” She stopped abruptly, her smile disappearing. “Oh,” Cerasi looked down at Obi-Wan. “I forgot.”

Raigi made a questioning noise. “Is something wrong? Other than the obvious?” The joke fell flat and Cerasi stared at her with a lost gaze.

“Delia, she was Obi-Wan’s second-in-combat. I saw her today, she helped me get supplies. And she told me that Nield had persuaded the rest of the council to banish Obi-Wan.” Cerasi said, swallowing hard. “They want him gone… After all he’s done for us, they want him-” She snapped her mouth shut, eyes closed. Cerasi breathed in deeply, and then looked straight at Raigi with strange determination.

“When can we move him?” She asked calmly. Raigi turned back to her scanner.

She hummed, considering. “In about a day or two.” Raigi finally decided.

Cerasi nodded, satisfied. “And can you get him to your ship without anyone noticing you?”

“Yes,” Raigi replied. Then raised an eyebrow (not that Cerasi would see it) and cocked her head a little. “Why?”

Her answer chilled Raigi to her very bones. “I want you to take him out of here and never return.” Cerasi said evenly. “It is too dangerous, Mawat and several Elders want him dead.” She glanced at Obi-Wan again, eyes full of sorrow. “But _I_ want him safe.”

“What about you?” Raigi could not help but ask. “You can come with us.” She offered. But Cerasi only shook her head.

“I’ve given and lost too much to establish peace to back down now.” Cerasi sounded firm.

Raigi nodded, acknowledging her decision. Even though everything inside her was protesting, she respected and understood Cerasi’s desire to fight for her home. Raigi admired that kind of strength and decisiveness.

They both returned to watching Obi-Wan.

***

True to Raigi’s prediction, Obi-Wan woke up briefly later that day.

Raigi was just finishing cleaning her blaster when she heard a groan and a faint voice asked: “Wha...?” Raigi’s head snapped up.

Cerasi was at Obi-Wan’s side in a flash. “Obi? Obi, look at me.”

Raigi slowly creeped closer, but still stayed out of Obi-Wan’s view. She did not want to overwhelm the _ad_.

The boy was looking at Cerasi with dazed pained gray eyes. “Cerasi?” He whispered, sounding very uncertain. Cerasi nodded, a huge smile on her face.

Raigi observed the two of them, thinking of everything she had learned.

She and Cerasi talked sometimes, during the long hours of waiting. Cerasi did not go into details, which Raigi found completely understandable. She had seen the same look Cerasi had on many experienced warriors. And talking only brought them more pain. But Raigi still learned a lot about the horrible experience Obi-Wan and children of Melida/Daan had lived through.

She wanted to shoot every adult on this _Ka’ra_ forsaken planet. Or at least beat some sense into them.

She had a feeling that most _Mando’ade_ would have helped her.

While the rest of them would have been busy with _ade_.

Raigi shook herself, watching Cerasi smile at Obi-Wan.

“Yes, I’m here.” She squeezed Obi-Wan’s hand lightly. “And as soon as you’re better I’m going to yell at you.” The teen threatened and an answering smile (however small) bloomed on Obi-Wan’s face. Cerasi gently lifted his head and pressed a flask to his lips. Obi-Wan drank slowly, then looked down at himself in sleepy confusion.

“Zere ‘re my clozes?” Cerasi’s smile dimmed. She looked down guiltily.

“I’m sorry Obi. I had to cut it off.” She admitted. “It was not salvageable.”

Obi-Wan let out a small dejected – ‘Oh.’

Cerasi looked crestfallen. “I’m truly sorry, I know how much-” Obi-Wan cut her off by gripping her hand in his lightly.

“’T’s alright. Just clozes.” He assured the girl. But something in his expression told Raigi that he was lying. Clearly the clothes were important to him. She would have to ask him about it later.

Obi-Wan yawned, his eyes fluttering shut. Cerasi shook his shoulder lightly. “Hey, don’t fall asleep just yet.” She asked quietly. “There is someone who wants to see you.” Obi-Wan made a small bewildered noise.

Raigi finally took a step forward. _“Su cuy’gar, rev’ika.”_ She greeted softly, glad that her voice did not shake.

Obi-Wan squinted his eyes at her, blinking sluggishly. His brows furrowed and Raigi’s heart fell. She knew where was a chance that Obi-Wan would not remember her. She tried to chase that particular thought away and still held onto hope. Now it seemed foolish. Raigi was ready to step back, then… _“Al’verde Raigi?”_ Came his weak voice and oh, _Ka’ra_ , why did he sound so much like the tiny _ad_ Raigi had met so long ago?

 _“Lek, I’m here, Ob’ika.”_ She whispered, pressing her bare hand to his cheek. The boy crossed his eyes in an attempt to look at her hand.

 _“Shi’yayc?”_ He asked, sounding so puzzled that Raigi let out a surprised laugh.

“Yeah, yellow, that’s me.” She smiled widely.

Obi-Wan blinked rapidly at her, then suddenly he winced in pain. “Raigi? _Ner koved kadala_.” He rasped weakly. Raigi frowned and shifted her hand up into his hair. Cerasi looked between them.

“What did he say?” She asked, worrying her lip between her teeth.

“His head hurts.” Raigi translated absently, running a hand through Obi-Wan’s matted hair. She had checked him for head wounds right after wrapping the side wound and found none. The pain was probably from fever and Raigi was unable to do much to relieve it. So she only soothed him gently. “I know it hurts _Ob’ika_. I promise it’ll get better soon.” She murmured and smiled then Obi-Wan turned his face slightly to nuzzle into her hand, seeking comfort from her touch. _“Nuhoy.” Sleep._

Obi-Wan gave her a miniscule nod and shut his eyes. He was asleep in a heartbeat.

Raigi smiled. Everything would be alright.

***

Two days later, under the cover of night, Raigi moved her ship into the city, which she found out was the capital named Zehava. With Cerasi’s help she brought Obi-Wan inside and placed him in the med bay. He woke up only three more times, briefly. Always confused and uncertain. And yet, a smile lit up on Obi-Wan’s face every time he saw Raigi standing nearby.

Raigi shook her head. It was time to leave.

“Are you sure you do not want to come with us?” She asked one last time. Cerasi smiled tightly and shook her head.

“Don’t worry about me.” She replied with a tight smile.

Raigi stopped next to the ramp. “I can return with a group of my friends.” She suggested, not liking the situation on this planet any more than the first time she heard about it.

A friend of Cerasi – Delia – told the girl that her speech in the Hall of Evidence made a lasting impression on everyone. Both sides laid down their weapons. They were ready to negotiate. And Cerasi was overjoyed.

But Raigi did not want to leave the girl alone, even with the support of her friends. They were all just children! Raigi had to sit still for a long time when she learned that their scouts were mostly nine or seven-year-olds. Due to their small stature.

Cerasi shook her head again, expression firm. “No. This is my planet. My home. And this is what I’ve been fighting for all along.” She paused, thoughtful. “Besides, people will no doubt ask how I met _the Mandalorians_ and why they are willing to help me.” Cerasi emphasized with a pointed look.

Raigi nodded mutely, accepting her reason. Cerasi gave her a small _real_ smile this time.

Then she hesitated. “Please, tell Obi-Wan that I’m sorry.” Raigi inched her head to the side.

“I’m sure he’ll want to visit you at some point. You will be able to tell him yourself.” She proposed. But Cerasi shook her head vigorously. Her hand shot out to grip Raigi’s forearm.

“Don’t let Obi-Wan come back here under any circumstances. Never. Promise me you won’t let him.” Raigi was a little startled by the intensity in Cerasi’s voice. She slowly nodded.

“I promise.” She vowed solemnly. Then pulled a small box out of her utility belt and gave it to Cerasi.

The girl frowned, taking the offered item. “What is it?” She asked, opening it and stiffened then she saw the what was inside.

“So you can say whatever you want to him yourself.” Raigi said and with a nod turned around to walk into her ship, leaving a still silent Cerasi behind.

***

They had been flying for three hours when Raigi heard a soft curse from the med bay. She had purposely left the intercom on so she would hear when Obi-Wan woke up. After turning the autopilot on, Raigi went to check on the _ad_.

Obi-Wan was trying to sit up when she walked into the room and instantly froze when he heard her enter the room. His head snapped up, eyes wide and panicking. Raigi found herself frowning. Did he have a nightmare? She did not hear anything unusual, but perhaps Obi-Wan was one of those who were silent during night terrors.

She wanted to step closer and already opened her mouth to speak.

But Obi-Wan beat her to that. He stared at her as sternly as his current condition could allow and asked a question that made Raigi stop short from sheer shock: “Who are you?”

Raigi looked into those gray (no longer vivid baby-blue) eyes and saw no hint of recognition. Dread filled Raigi, making it hard to breathe properly.

She swallowed, her throat too dry, and tried to calm herself. “You can call me Mando. She/her.” Oh, how much these words pained her. (But not as much as that guarded, blank look Obi-Wan was giving her.) She restrained herself from reaching out.

Obi-Wan shifted on the bed, trying to back away from Raigi. “Obi-Wan. He/him.” Raigi almost smiled. Then the boy gave her a hard look. “Where am I?”

“Your friend, Cerasi, asked me to take you away.” Raigi replied, dodging the question for now.

Obi-Wan sat up straighter at the mention of her name. “Cerasi? Is she alright?” He asked worriedly. Raigi’s heart hurt.

For a moment, she saw a tiny _ad_ , eyes filled with concern, asking: **‘Is Jastew alwight?’** after said man managed to land himself in a med bay for a whole week.

Raigi pushed back the urge to shake the memories out of her head, and instead focused on Obi-Wan again. “She was unharmed the last time we spoke.” Obi-Wan’s shoulders sagged in relief. Raigi smiled faintly. Then Obi-Wan glared at her.

“And why am I here?” He pressed again. “That’s your ship, I assume? You could have just taken me to another city.” Obi-Wan pointed out, raising an eyebrow at her. Raigi nodded, wondering what she should tell him. In the end she decided to show him instead.

She raised her arm and pressed a button. A holo appeared in the air.

It was a recording of Cerasi’s face, staring at Raigi with determination. **‘I want you to take him out of here and never return.’** Obi-Wan stopped breathing, staring at the holo in shock. **‘It is too dangerous, Mawat and several Elders want him dead.’** Obi-Wan huffed, clenching his jaw hard. **‘But _I_ want him safe.’** The recording disappeared. Raigi turned on another one.

 **‘Don’t let Obi-Wan come back here under any circumstances. Never. Promise me you won’t let him.’** Cerasi pleaded, the concern in her eyes clear even on holo.

 **‘I swear.’** Raigi answered. Obi-Wan stared at Cerasi’s face for several long minutes, then lowered his gaze.

“I see.” He swallowed hard, fisting the blanket. “Thank you.” Obi-Wan whispered quietly.

Raigi inched her head. “For what?” Obi-Wan looked up at her with those big sad eyes.

“For fulfilling my friend’s request. You did not have to. You do not owe us anything.” He insisted, gaze dropping down.

An idea started forming in Raigi’s head. “But I do. All _Mando’ade_ do.” She replied softly and Obi-Wan’s entire body locked in place. Raigi moved closer and kneeled in front of the bed he was sitting on.

“We’re all in your debt, Obi-Wan Kenobi.” She murmured. “You saved our lives.”

Obi-Wan stared at her. “I did it?” He whispered weakly, like he could not believe Raigi’s words. “You received my message?” Raigi nodded and some of the tension fled Obi-Wan. He dropped heavily back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

And then he laughed. Loud and happy, pressing his hands to his face. A huge grin appeared on his face. “I did it. They are alive.” He whispered to himself in awe.

Raigi nodded, an answering smile stretching her own lips. “We are.” She confirmed, staying away from Obi-Wan. It would not be comfortable for him to be in the presence of an unknown adult, or any adult, for quite a long time. And from Cerasi’s words, Raigi was willing to bet her _beskar’gam_ that Obi-Wan had a severe case of PTSD. So, no adults sneaking on him in any foreseeable future.

“And our _Alor_ wants to thank you. He appointed me and two other teams to find you and ask if you would be willing to meet him.” Obi-Wan startled at the sound of her voice and turned his head to look at her incredulously.

“Why? I did not do much, I just warned you.” He said and Raigi remembered his honest disbelieve that he was worthy of recognition for his deeds. That _ad_ was always too humble. Apparently, he did not grow up out of it.

(And maybe, just maybe, Raigi could not really judge just from Cerasi’s stories, but perhaps it was worse than when he was a child. Some of Obi-Wan’s actions were deeply concerning. It was almost like he thought that he was not important, that his life did not mean much. That _he_ did not mean much. Raigi really did not like that. She doubted that Jaster would like it either.)

“But your warning saved many lives. If not for you, I would not be standing here.” She argued lightly. Raigi wondered, if he remembered another warning, he had sent their way. In the end she decided not to bring it up. “You can refuse, of course. I can take you anywhere, just name a planet. It is your choice.” She assured him, ignoring the sharp pain in her chest. “But not until that hole in your side is healed.” Raigi then added firmly. Obi-Wan nodded reluctantly, frowning. He seemed distracted by his thoughts.

“Anywhere?” He asked, raising his gaze at her. Raigi nodded curtly. Even if it would break a lot of hearts, including hers, she would never force Obi-Wan into anything. Should he want to return home, she would fly him where.

(And she would, of course, have a very long talk with his guardians.)

The boy bit his lower lip, his right hand reaching up, only to stop mid-motion and drop back onto the bed. Obi-Wan looked intently at the ceiling, then slowly shook his head.

“I have nowhere to go.” He admitted in a soft, hurt voice. He clearly did not intent for Raigi to know that he was hurting, but she heard it anyway. And her heart _ached_.

She wanted to reach out, to hug him and never let go. She wanted to chase away that frown, keep him save from every horror in the Galaxy. She wanted to tell him that he was loved by _sooo_ many people. She wanted…

Instead, Raigi nodded and stood up to walk out of the room.

“Get some sleep. I’ll come back with some food in an hour.”

The only response she got was a curt nod before Obi-Wan wrapped herself into the blanket and stared blankly at the wall.

Raigi turned around and left.

She needed to think. And to call Jaster.

That thought made her grimace. _Alor_ would be crushed.

***

**‘What do you mean, he doesn’t remember?’** Jaster’s voice sounded weird, the connection too unstable. But it did not prevent Raigi from hearing worry and shock in his tone.

After all, she felt like that too.

“He does not remember me, he did not react when I mentioned that you asked me to find him except to ask why with a surprised face.” Raigi informed her _Alor_. His expression hardened.

 **‘Anything else?’** Raigi tilted her head in consideration.

“I think something or someone made him forget.” She answered slowly. Jaster raised an eyebrow but stayed silent. Raigi almost expelled a tired sigh. “When he woke up feverish, he recognized me.” Then Raigi had to pause for a moment. “He called me _Al’verde_ …” She whispered.

Jaster’s eyes softened and he relaxed a little.

 _Al’verde_. _Commander_. Obi-Wan he had refused to call her anything else ever since he had heard Tuc jokingly call her the Commander of their little company. Since then, this nickname has stuck to her, even though it was not her rank.

Raigi gave up and sighed. “And he spoke to me in _Mando’a_. In his half-conscious state, he remembered everything. But now... it’s almost like something had hid those memories deep in his mind. And only his subconscious remembers.”

Jaster frowned, crossing his arms. **‘He’ll need a mind healer.’** He replied after a beat of silence. Raigi nodded in agreement.

 **‘How did he even get there?’** Jaster asked, sounding frustrated. Raigi shook her head.

“I do not know. Cerasi was very reluctant to expand on the subject. She only said that Obi-Wan had come to help them with the war. From where and how – it remains unknown.”

Jaster looked downright murderous, even though most people would not notice it. But Raigi knew him too well.

“What is the situation with the Death Watch? Have the _Jetiise_ made an appearance?” She asked, trying to distract herself and Jaster from the thoughts of child soldiers. Jaster pinched the bridge of his nose.

 **‘You better sit down.’** He replied, eyes flashing with fury. **‘It won’t be pleasant news.’**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not sorry.  
> …  
> Okay, maybe just a bit. 
> 
> Translations:  
> Mando’a
> 
> Ad - Child  
> Haat Mando’ade – True Mandalorians  
> Al’verde – Commander  
> Alor – Chancellor  
> Buy’ce – Helmet  
> Ka’ra – Stars / ancient Mandalorian myth, ruling council of fallen kings  
> Jetiise – Jedi, plural  
> Kyr’tsad – Death Watch  
> Haran – Hell  
> Lek, Alor – Yes, Chancellor  
> Ad’ika – Little one  
> Me’bana bah gar? – What happened to you?  
> Vod’ika – Little brother/sister/sibling  
> Cyare – Beloved, loved, popular  
> Verd’goten – The traditional rite of passage in Mandalorian culture in which a Mandalorian youth was accepted as an adult and was treated as an equal  
> Baar’ur – Medic  
> Mando’ade – Mandalorians (pl) - sons and/or daughters of Mandalore  
> Rev’ika – Little fox  
> Vor’e, al’verde! – Thank you, Commander!  
> Demagolka – Someone who commits atrocities, a real-life monster, a war criminal  
> Ade – Children  
> Su cuy’gar, rev’ika – Hello, little fox  
> Al’verde Raigi? – Commander Raigi?  
> Lek – Yes  
> Shi’yayc – Yellow  
> Ner koved kadala – My head hurts  
> Nuhoy – Sleep
> 
> That’s it. See you next time!


End file.
